


Salt

by antioedipus



Series: A Different World [2]
Category: Naruto
Genre: F/M, Rare Pairings, Romance, Smut, lonely people
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-08
Updated: 2020-08-08
Packaged: 2021-03-06 04:42:09
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,556
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25787524
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/antioedipus/pseuds/antioedipus
Summary: Ino is used to being treated like an object, and Neji insists on treating her like a human being."His arms are crossed, and he smirks, head tilted. “Ino,” he says quietly. The blood rushes to her face and for a second she forgets who she is. Neji has a way of getting under your skin, like he can see your organs working.She supposes that, technically, he can."How it all started.
Relationships: Hyuuga Neji/Yamanaka Ino
Series: A Different World [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1895671
Comments: 6
Kudos: 20





	Salt

“She is like a cat in the dark and then she is the darkness”

Stevie Nicks, “Rhiannon”

The whirring noise that fans make when they are on full power makes Ino’s head hurt. She sits on her couch, one leg crossed over the other, watching Hinata and Sakura get drunk to the point of hopelessness. Hinata and Sakura are on the floor, babbling at each other, Hinata a third of the way through a bottle of wine and Sakura is halfway through her third beer. Ino sighs, Tenten sitting cross-legged beside her.

The weather is unbearably hot. Like, sweat through your padded bra and your blouse hot. Tenten is wearing a sheer, silky t-shirt, her high-waisted shorts digging into her stomach. Ino is wearing one of her loose, silky shift dresses that looks more like a nightgown than a dress. It’s a deep pink, and her hair is up in a ponytail.

“Do you think they’ll behave?” Tenten asks. Ino tilts her head.

“I doubt it.” Ino looks at the ice floating in her white wine. She considers what it would feel like to melt.

She is feeling a little emotional tonight. She was supposed to hang out with Shikamaru and Chouji, but Karui and Temari both turned up in the village last night. They both cancelled on her, so she bought a lot of booze and invited Tenten, Hinata and Sakura. She wants to get stinking drunk, but for some reason, she isn’t interested.

The truth is that she is lonely, and she knows alcohol won’t make her feel better. She hasn’t had a steady boyfriend since Sai, which was years ago now. It doesn’t help that she feels like Shikamaru and Chouji have outgrown her. She just misses having the consistent attention of men. It’s not a very feminist sentiment, but it is how she feels.

“We should go on an adventure,” Sakura declares.

“We can pour libations!” Hinata raises her bottle of wine into the air, sloshing some on Ino’s floor. It’ll be sticky in the morning. Hinata doesn’t notice and Ino doesn’t bother cleaning it up.

“Well, let’s get our shoes on then!” Sakura wobbles as she stands up, pulling Hinata along with her. Tenten sighs and follows them, knowing that if she doesn’t, Hinata will drop her wine, getting glass and wine everywhere.

Somehow, Hinata is able to slip her sandals on while holding her wine. She is wearing a white sundress, and she is so graceful that even half in the bag, she can wear a white dress, hold an open bottle of wine and slip her sandals on without falling over. She even catches Sakura when she stumbles over.

Ino watches as Tenten tries to take the bottle of wine, but Hinata and Sakura are too speedy. They manage to get out of the apartment and take off down the stairs. Tenten and Ino watch from the scaffold, as Sakura and Hinata pour wine onto the lawn just outside the door of the apartment.

“You’re going to have to corral them,” Ino says.

“Why me?” Tenten asks. Ino shrugs.

“You’re good at keeping people in line.” She slips on her sandals, and Ino grabs her keys. When she turns around, she sees Tenten giving her a strange look.

“You called us over here for a party, but you don’t seem to be in the mood to drink.” Tenten says. She has a way of looking at people that makes one feel seen.

“Every mood is a mood for drinking,” Ino drawls. Tenten frowns.

“Stop lying.” She doesn’t look at Ino as she sets down the stairs. Ino sighs.

“I don’t want to talk about it.” She replies. Tenten nods.

“Okay,” she smiles, “I am going to make sure Sakura and Hinata don’t commit any crimes.” Tenten jogs over to their friends. Ino turns to lock her door, listening to Tenten tell Hinata to flip her skirt back down, Sakura doesn’t need to see the scar on her inner thigh to know that it is there.

**

Neji sticks the soba noodles in his mouth. His team got back from their Anbu mission, and he decided to treat Sasuke and Sai to dinner before they go home. They aren’t friends, but every so often Neji decides to show his appreciation for the two of them. Sasuke and Sai are the least annoying people he has worked with, aside from Tenten. They are all dirty and sweaty, but they are so hungry that they don’t care.

Their squad needs a fourth member to round it out. But Neji hates every person they have been assigned. He thinks that Tenten should be recruited to Anbu. She is more than good enough, and no one can handle fuckery quite like her.

“Any plans?” Neji asks. Sai shrugs, while Sasuke shoves more noodles into his mouth. Another thing he likes about his team: they don’t talk for the sake of it. Neji shrugs and returns to his noodles, a neutral expression on his face.

Beside him, he hears Sai breathe as if to speak. Neji and Sasuke both turn to listen, when the doors open, and all three of them stiffen as they hear Sakura’s loud voice. They all turn around. They watch her stumble in, holding Hinata’s hand. Tenten is right behind them, arms out, prepared to catch them. Ino takes up the rear.

Hinata spots them first, breaking out of Sakura’s grasp as she picks up a menu from another table. Hinata skips over, and slides into the booth next to Sasuke. Her face is pink, and she is smiley. All three men can tell that Hinata is quite drunk. Sasuke glares at Hinata, but she continues to crowd his space.

“Can you get your cousin to leave me alone?” Sasuke asks. Neji smirks.

“Ask her yourself.” He replies. Hinata turns to look up at Sasuke, and neither Neji nor Sai miss the nervous look on Sasuke’s face.

“Is there something you want to tell me?” Hinata looks up at him with her moon bright eyes. Sasuke’s mouth sets into a line.

“You’re sitting too close to me,” he says. Hinata tilts her head.

“I’m too close?” she asks. Sasuke nods, very carefully keeping his eyes on hers. Sai watches the two of them, curious. Neji just snorts and turns back to his noodles.

Hinata opens her mouth to say something, until Tenten slides into the booth next to her, pushing Hinata even closer to Sasuke. He pulls his arm back, pressed against the wall.

“Why don’t you want Hinata to be close to you?” Sai asks, “she’s your type.” Sasuke frowns and narrows his eyes.

“I don’t have a type.” Sasuke pokes at his noodles. Sai shrugs.

“You like girls that don’t like you,” he replies. “Hinata is the only girl who doesn’t like you.” He yelps when Sasuke kicks him in the shin.

“How was the mission?” Tenten asks Neji. He shrugs.

“Over,” he replies. Tenten frowns at him.

“That’s not very descriptive.” She replies. Neji stares at her, bored. However, Sai’s face lights up.

“Actually, our missions are classified,” he says, “that is the most Neji can actually tell you.” His smile is cheery as he gives her this information. Tenten smiles at him, and it isn’t lost on Neji the way she lights up at Sai. _Interesting_ , he thinks.

While Sai and Tenten start talking around the mission _and_ their mutual attraction, Ino slides into the booth next to Neji. She has to press her thigh to his, and he can smell her perfume. It’s light, a little sweet, but delicate. It doesn’t smell like any particular thing, like vanilla or bergamot. Expensive perfume smells like a mood or a place rather than a thing. She smells like the crook of an elbow: soft. Neji won’t admit it, but he really likes it.

So, he doesn’t move his thigh. Instead, he presses it against hers. Ino turns to look at him, blinking lazily.

Sakura pulls up a chair, and it makes a scratching noise as she pulls up to the booth. She plops her elbows down at the table. Ino turns to her, and Neji frowns. Tenten smirks at his expression, while Hinata’s head rests on Sasuke’s shoulder.

“Hinata,” Sakura says, “what are you doing?” Sasuke looks uncomfortable, and she finds it hilarious.

“I’m sleepy,” Hinata mewls. Sakura smirks.

“I have a dare for you.” Sakura smiles. It’s an evil grin, the one she makes before she is about to embarrass a member of Team Seven. Hinata tilts her head, and Sasuke squirms in his seat. Sai is grateful that Sakura hasn’t noticed how he looks at Tenten.

“I dare you to lick the table.” Sakura says. Hinata smiles.

“Okay,” she replies. But instead of leaning down to the table, she takes Sasuke’s forearm and licks the top, from his elbow to his wrist.

He blinks, horrified. Tenten, Sai and Ino watch, blinking. Neji, indifferent, shovels more noodles into his mouth. Sakura throws her head back and cackles. As she tucks her tongue back into her mouth, Hinata tilts her head, thinking. Like she tasted something she hadn’t expected.

“You were supposed to lick the table!” Sasuke grunts. Hinata blinks at him.

“Your arm looked yummier,” she replies, “but it just tastes like salt and dirt.” Sasuke clenches his jaw, and mutters _whatever_. Sakura laughs harder.

“Sasuke, you need to marry her,” she says, “Hinata is the only girl who will lick your arm and dismiss you after.”

“Leave me alone,” he mumbles. Hinata rubs her hand on his shoulder.

“I didn’t mean to be so rude,” she murmurs, “I am sure your arm tastes better after you shower.” Sasuke looks at everyone with a whipped expression. Hinata keeps rubbing his shoulder, which doesn’t help. Tenten giggles, and Sai memorizes the sound. Ino turns to Neji and leans into his ear.

“They would be cute,” she says quietly. Neji chews his noodles. She is fascinated by the way that he is able to chew without making noise. He swallows and turns to her.

Ino looks at his face, and for the first time, it registers to her just how beautiful he is. There is something haunting him just behind his eyes. Fragility, that’s what sits within them. She smiles at him, and his eyebrows furrow. It’s not weird that she is attracted to him, so much as he is surprised that he is fascinated by her cupid’s bow.

“Not as cute as Sai and Ten,” he mutters. Ino grins at him.

“Or us,” she says innocently. Sakura is busy distracting Tenten and Hinata so Sasuke can finish his meal in peace and Sai can stare at Tenten without her seeing.

Neji smirks. Ino expects him to say something. He surprises her and shifts his attention to Tenten. “Ten,” he says, “when are you going to apply to Anbu?” Tenten sighs.

“I don’t think I’m good enough.” She says quietly. Neji rolls his eyes.

“You are more than good enough,” he says, “I’ve seen your stats. You should apply, and then you can join the team.” Neji actually smiles, and Sasuke looks at him with confusion while Sai tries not to look hopeful. She frowns.

“You really think so?” she asks.

“I think you’d be great,” he says, “we need a fourth member on our team.”

“We would have a fourth member if you weren’t so mean to them,” Sasuke drawls.

“You’re mean to your coworkers?” Hinata asks. She moves her hand from Sasuke’s shoulder, and he looks disappointed. Sai nods.

“He is ruthless,” he says.

“Dictatorial,” Sasuke mutters. Neji frowns.

“I am _particular_.” He says. Ino bites her lip. She likes how authoritative he sounds. Sai has a backbone, but he never made her feel like he was in charge. It dawns on her that Neji is different.

Naruto and Lee turn up, and Sakura starts cheering, loudly. While everyone is distracted by Naruto and Lee talking about their evening, Ino presses her thigh into Neji, and he presses his arm against hers. She turns to face him, and when they see her smile, Sasuke and Sai know that they are about to watch Neji make a mistake.

They could say something. But where is the fun in that?

**

Tenten is the first person Neji had sex with. It wasn’t love, but it was safe. That’s what he looks for in women, and he hasn’t found it since. Ino isn’t safe. He isn’t stupid. But he is bored, and fresh off a shitty mission, and being inside someone would feel really good. Normally he would just rub one out, but Ino looks just as lonely as him.

When they finally finish eating, the whole group leaves the restaurant. Hinata and Sakura want to go dancing and Lee and Naruto have never heard a better idea. Sai and Sasuke, like Neji, haven’t had a chance to clean up after their mission, but when Hinata and Tenten ask if they are coming, they both seriously look like they are considering it. While they hem and haw, Neji looks at Tenten.

“You’ll make sure that Hinata gets home in one piece?” he asks. Tenten rolls her eyes.

“Of course,” she replies, “Hinata, did you catch that?”

“You didn’t throw anything,” Hinata says, confused. She is holding onto Sasuke’s arm so that she stays upright, and he has an unreadable expression.

“O-kay, you definitely aren’t drinking anymore tonight,” Tenten takes her arm, before waving at Neji.

“Go get some sleep,” she says softly. He nods.

Neji turns from the group and begins to walk away, and Ino turns to look at his back. “I want to go home,” she says quietly. Sai blinks at her, looking off at Neji. It registers that he should be jealous. But Sai has been staring at Tenten the whole night, so he has no right to judge.

“If you leave now, you can catch up with him in a minute.” Sai murmurs. Ino looks up and smiles at him.

“Okay,” she says. “Cover for me?”

“Of course,” Sai smiles before he looks back over to the group. Sasuke is trying to escape Naruto’s clutches while dealing with the fact that Hinata has latched onto him. Lee has Sakura on his back, and she demands that he take her dancing. Ino slips away, arms crossed as she follows Neji up the street. She doesn’t see him until she turns a corner, and suddenly, he is right there, waiting for her.

His arms are crossed, and he smirks, head tilted. “Ino,” he says quietly. The blood rushes to her face and for a second she forgets who she is. Neji has a way of getting under your skin, like he can see your organs working.

She supposes that, technically, he can.

“Neji,” she says quietly. Ino looks him in the eye, refusing to back down. He looks down at her mouth, and for a second, she sees something vulnerable slip out.

“I’ll walk you home,” he says. She nods and walks past him, towards her apartment. He walks slightly behind her, watching her hips as they sway. He likes watching how girls walk; it is his thing. They never talk about girls, but Neji, Sai and Sasuke all know each other’s quirks. It’s because they spend so much time together. Sasuke likes girls who don’t look twice at him and Sai prefers to watch one girl from afar before he has the guts to do anything about it. And Neji? He likes to watch the way a girl walks. You can tell a lot about a person by the way they move through the world.

For instance, Ino has exceedingly light footsteps, and while one would think that the smooth, even roll of her hips is a loose movement, Neji can tell from her stride that it is actually very controlled. Ino doesn’t do anything without a purpose. It’s one of the things she has in common with Shikamaru.

“You can walk beside me,” she turns her head over her shoulder, blinking at him. Neji nods and quickens his pace. They walk in silence, and Ino looks at the streetlights. They are on early tonight.

“We aren’t friends,” she says. He nods.

“I know,” his voice isn’t heavy, neither is it light. It’s in the middle, somehow. He is a very balanced person. Ino looks at him, the smooth planes of his face and the white of his eyes. No one would ever accuse him of being crazy. If anything, Neji is cursed to be painfully sane. Solipsism is his fate. Ino knows she can’t change it, but she would like to think that she could save him through tenderness.

Shikamaru would tell her that she was being unrealistic, that this will only end badly. But he is dating someone who tried to kill him when he was twelve, so he really has no right to tell her how to live.

She and Shikamaru have never talked about their relationships. They fooled around when they were seventeen, and then she discovered Sai and he got with Temari. They have a twisted bond from having two dead dads and what feels like a million kisses between them.

“I’m sore,” Neji says, cutting through her brooding.

“You probably need a hot shower,” she smiles. He sighs.

“That sounds really good.” He stretches his arms up as they walk, yawning. “I actually kind of wish we were on a beach.”

“A beach?” she asks.

“Yes, a beach.” He replies.

“You don’t seem like a beach kind of guy.” She says, “no offense.”

“None taken,” he says, “I don’t really tan.” She giggles, and it makes him feel like he has won something. _So, this is what it feels like to be seen by Yamanaka Ino_. He can admit it, there is a certain high that accompanies getting her to laugh.

They look at each other, and it is obvious to both of them that they are checking the other out. He is the kind of boy her mother would describe as a _dish_. He always looks like he is thinking, and not in the way that someone like Naruto or Asuma, who both have an obvious “thinking is kind of hard, so I have a distinct facial expression when I do it” face. Neji simply always looks thoughtful. He isn’t the kind of guy who will buy you flowers, but he will never forget your birthday or the voice you use when you talk to your mom on the phone. She wonders what he thinks about her. She can tell that he is thinking about her, but she doesn’t know what his exact thoughts are. She hopes he likes her, because she thinks she could really like him too.

Ino has always been the prettiest girl that he has ever seen. He can admit it. But in this moment, he feels like he is seeing her actual appeal. She has a way of making you feel like you are the only man to ever make her laugh. She is so pretty that you find yourself having dumb thoughts like this. Her precise appeal is that she makes you not just want but hope to be the only man to ever make her laugh or smile. It makes Neji feel good to hear her giggle, like he has done something no other man has been able to before. He knows that this is not the case, but nonetheless, here he is, letting Ino rot his brain.

“You’re so pretty it hurts,” she says. Neji smiles.

“People say that about you.” He replies. She snorts.

“I don’t know. No one could cut themselves on my cheekbones.” Arms falling to her sides, she takes his hand in hers.

“That's a dumb image,” he says quietly.

“You’ll have to do better than that,” she drawls, “Shikamaru calls me stupid all the time.”

“He only says that because you are prettier than him,” Neji replies, “if you called him ugly, he wouldn’t say anything rude for at least a week.” She laughs.

“I like when he calls me stupid. It’s our thing.” She squeezes his hand, and Neji snorts.

“I have never met a girl who liked being called stupid.” He drawls.

“Only by Shikamaru,” she replies, “everyone is stupid to him. It’s not even an insult, coming from him. He is that smart.”

“You really like him, don’t you?” he asks. Ino shoots him a look, but he plays innocent.

“I don’t like him enough to let him hold my hand,” she says. Neji smirks.

“I never said that,” he says. She narrows her eyes.

“You didn’t have to,” she replies.

“So, we aren’t friends, but you can read my mind without a jutsu?” he asks. She grins.

“I haven’t met a man who wasn’t clueless.” She says. He frowns.

“What I said was the opposite of clueless,” he replies. She smirks like she knows something he doesn’t. It bothers him, not a lot, but a little. Like a papercut, it only stings when he really pays attention to it.

They walk in silence, Ino swinging their hands. “You know what we should do?” she asks. Neji blinks.

“What?” he asks.

“We should make a beach in my bathroom.” She smiles, and he laughs.

“What?”

“I have a huge tub of Epsom salt. We could draw a bath, and dump it in, bring a few fans in and voila, a beach.” She sounds so happy, like she has thought of the perfect thing for them to do at 10 PM on a Wednesday.

“That’s all?” he asks. She nods.

“Salty water and a breeze.” She says, “but the water will have to be hot, for your muscles.” He sighs.

“That sounds nice,” he replies, “but who said you were going to see me naked?” Ino laughs in response.

“No man has ever not wanted me to see them naked,” she says, “you’re special. You have to come in and take a bath with me.” She looks up at his face, and she sees him relax.

“Okay,” he says, “I’ll take a bath with you.”

**

Neji sits on the toilet, watching Ino dump an entire two litre tub of Epsom salt into her bathtub. It creates a splash, and some water gets onto the bodice of her dress. She brought two fans into the bathroom, and has plugged them in. They are on their lowest setting, but he still finds the whirring noise annoying.

Her shampoo and conditioner smell like coconut and vanilla. They smell nasty in the bottle, but they are probably nice when your nose is pressed into the crown of her head. Neji tilts his head, watching her. Would she find it funny to know that he is thinking about wrapping his fist in her long hair? Knowing Ino, she would probably tell him to do it like it was her idea.

He ties his hair up into a knot, and he watches her put her wrist under the water. She then sticks her hand into the tub, and starts stirring the water, like it could help dissolve all the salt she dumped in there. He is pretty sure it won’t dissolve completely, but he can forgive gritty water. She looks up at him.

“Strip,” she says. He blinks.

“What?’ he isn’t used to being told what to do.

“You have to get naked,” she says, “don’t to bother hiding yourself.” She turns back to look at the water. Neji laughs.

“To be clear, you want us to take a bath together.” Neji hasn’t even kissed her, but this feels more intimate. She shrugs.

“You said you were sore,” she drawls.

“So, this is out of the goodness of your heart?” he asks. She smirks.

“Do you not want to see me naked?” she asks. “No man has ever asked me to keep my clothes on.” Neji stands up and walks to the fans. He unplugs them and turns to look at her.

“I wanted it to be like a beach,” she pouts. He shrugs.

“I hate the noise they make,” he replies. It is obvious she does too when she doesn’t make him turn them back on. He then starts undressing, folding each piece of clothing as he takes it off. She watches him, biting her lip. He takes his forehead protector off last, and she presses her mouth into a line when she sees the seal on his forehead. It makes her nervous, he can tell. In a way, it’s funny that she is more comfortable seeing him naked, but his bare forehead makes her look away. He focuses on folding his clothes into a pile. While his head is down, she turns her attention back to the bath water. Since there will be two of them, there doesn’t need to be a lot of water.

She stands up, and her back is turned to him. She lifts her dress up over her head, and he looks at the snake of her spine, the way her shoulder blades move under her skin. She is smooth in everything she does. Hell, she talked him into taking a bath with her, and he can’t remember ever taking a bath with anyone.

She takes off her bra and underwear, leaving them in a pile on the floor, along with her dress. She turns to look at him. “Get in.” She says quietly.

“Is that an order?” he asks, quirking a brow. He walks past her and steps into the bathtub. He lowers himself into the tub, and he sighs when he is submerged. The water is gritty, but the heat feels good.

With his hair up, she can see the way his neck curves up into his jaw, his delicate profile. Sasuke and Sai are both pretty, but Neji is beautiful. He looks up at her, stretching his arms.

“What?” she asks. He sighs.

“I want you to join me,” he says. She smiles.

“You want to touch my naked body?” Ino puts her hands on her hips.

“Contrary to popular belief,” he says, “I am just a man.” She tilts her head.

“You’re admitting to being an ordinary man?” she smirks. He shrugs.

“All men are ordinary.” He replies. Ino eyes him, and steps into the tub between his legs. She kneels down, and purposefully sits between his legs. She looks up at him with her big blue eyes, and for the first time, he thinks about the kind of situation he has put himself in. _This is compromising_ , he thinks. No longer will he be able to claim to be frigid. Ino makes him feel hot all over.

He doesn’t realize it, but he is frowning. Ino tilts her head. “Are you okay?” she asks. He blinks.

“I’m just thinking.” He replies. Her face softens, and she smooths his forehead with her hands.

“You’re always thinking.” She sighs, and she moves so that she is sitting on his lap, her chest pressed up to his. He looks into her eyes was she traces a finger over the seal.

“It’s a pretty colour,” she says quietly. He snorts.

“I’ll remember that when I see it in the mirror.” He goes out of his way to avoid seeing his face. Her eyes soften, and she runs her pointer over his lower lip.

“What are you going to do to me?” she asks. Neji scrunches his face.

He hadn’t thought that far ahead. He doesn’t even know what he wants to do to Ino. “Short term or long term?” he asks.

“Both,” she whispers. He sticks out his lower lip, and she can tell that he is really thinking.

“Whatever you want me to do.” He says, “that’s what I will do.”

“That is such an innocent thing to say,” she snorts, “you’ve never thought of what you’d do to me?” Neji shrugs.

“You are not the axis on which my world turns, Ino.” Neji isn’t above falling in love. He just doesn’t think he is capable of it. He has never wanted anyone badly enough.

“I want to be the axis,” she says. He can tell that she is both joking and not.

“Let’s make sure the parts fit, hm?” he whispers, before he leans in to kiss her. Her lower lip is soft, and she hums into his mouth.

She pulls away and looks up into his face. “It’s gross, referring to sex like that,” she is smiling, and he can tell that he hasn’t grossed her out at all. He smirks. “How about this,” he says, “you tell me what you want to do to me.”

“Why?” she asks.

“I want to give you what you want.” He says. It’s true. Sex only feels good if you are honest. She kisses him, and he sighs into her mouth, wrapping his arms around her.

“What do you think I want?” she asks before kissing him again. He sighs.

“I think you want to be treated like an object, because that is how you have been trained to have sex.” He looks right into her eyes, and she swallows.

“What does that mean?” she asks, putting her hand on his cheek.

“I want to fuck you like you’re a person, not an object.” He replies, “have you ever had the kind of sex that makes you feel like a human being?” Ino can’t say she has.

“Show me,” she sighs, “show me what it feels like to be a human being.” She presses her mouth to his, and his hair falls out of its knot.

Neji slides down into the water, and Ino moves up so she can wrap her legs around him. She sighs as he slips his hand down between her legs. “You can tell me what you like,” he murmurs as she kisses his jaw.

“I want you to guess,” she replies. He frowns, his fingers sliding against her. She hums when he finds her clit, and when he starts to move in a circular motion, she feels something inside her melt. So, she kisses him like he is the last man on earth, and he reciprocates. As his hand moves against her, and she presses herself to him, they both feel like they are getting closer to the truth of who they are.

He may not be her soulmate, but he knows how to use his hands. Her pelvis rocks against him, and he bumps her with his hips, making her yelp.

“Having fun?” he asks.

“Only if you keep going,” she tosses her hair over her shoulder, and once more, he thinks about wrapping his fist in it. _Later_ , he thinks. Right now, he is content to chase her orgasm. Pleasure makes most faces ugly, but it only makes Ino prettier. The splotchy flush that makes other girls look like they have the measles make her look radiant, as if she were a higher being. He doesn’t want to call her an angel, because the sounds she is making are the opposite of pure or chaste, but it’s the only word that comes to mind.

Then it hits him at once: Ino reminds him of a star. _A heavenly body_. He smiles to himself, since that is a pretty clever thought to have when you are fingering Yamanaka Ino and she is kissing you like you are the only man she ever wants to be with. He kisses her jaw as she pants, and sensing she is close, he picks up the pace. She doesn’t scream, no: she sighs, like her orgasm freed her.

There is nothing nicer than someone showing you a part of yourself that you assumed to be long dead.

**

The prospect of sex has a way of helping Neji get over his sore muscles. He kisses the side of her neck as she assumes the position. He is still a little dirty, and he smells like salt and sweat, but for Ino, it simply makes him more of a man. She sighs as he nips the back of her neck. He gets hair in his mouth, but it’s worth it to hear her yelp.

When they fooled around in the bathtub, he was trying to loosen her up. Here they are, and he hopes that they can fuck each other back into humanity.

She opens a drawer and pulls out a condom. She holds it up in the air, and wordlessly, he takes it. He steps back and watches Ino place her palms on the bathroom countertop, on either side of the sink. Her hair is still in a ponytail, which is convenient for him.

She leans forward, her back arched and knees bent. Neji rips the foil, and as he rolls the condom down onto himself, she looks at him from over her shoulder. Her mouth is swollen, and his expressionless face makes her hot and nervous.She has no idea how this could go. She is used to men looking at her like they completely want her, but Neji holds back. It makes her want him to give it to her _real_ bad.

“I want it to hurt,” she says, “but only a little.”

“Just enough to feel something?” he drawls, walking back up behind her. He is so attracted to her that he will risk seeing the seal on his face, just to fuck her. He puts a hand on her hip, and he presses his forehead into the back of her neck. She feels him inhale when he finds her, and exhale when he slides home.

Ino didn’t stand in front of the mirror because she is vain. It was simply the closest place she could think of. They could have gone to her bedroom, but she wants him now. His hot breath on the back of her neck, the way his chest feels on her back. She looks into the mirror, and as he starts moving and she arches against him, she sees how his body effects hers. The way she absorbs the impact, the way her skin gets flushed, how she stretches her neck to give him access.

It’s weird, watching herself being fucked into becoming a human being. When his eyes meet hers in the mirror, he frowns because he wants her to feel rather than watch him. Neji snakes his hand to the end of her ponytail, and he wraps it around his fist, twining his fingers in her hair. He doesn’t pull or yank her head back. But she does feel the weight of his hand, and as he starts hitting harder and faster, it feels like a counterweight. She smirks. “Dirty,” she pants out. Neji grunts and goes harder.

If she is a star, what does that make him? Neji grits his teeth and thinks. He is the negative space that stars occupy. He has no emotional depth, but Ino makes him feel… _something_. Like she brings him closer to a truth that he doesn’t understand but knows is there. He kisses her shoulder, a tenderness that punctuates the brutality with which they have sex.

Ino meets his thrusts with her own, and she keeps asking for more. She is begging, pleading for him to make her feel like a human being. Not in those words. She can’t really use full sentences, that’s how it is going. But they have entered the mind meld between two people who are fucking, where you can tell what the other person is thinking by the way they are breathing or how their body moves.

They are surprised by how natural this feels. Her mouth is open wide and the noises she makes are vulgar, and his fist is in her hair and he is so deep inside her that he has no idea how he will ever pull away. It should feel uncomfortable, but for some reason, it’s not yet enough. Neji makes the executive decision that he will have to hit her cervix. He is pretty sure that she both likes him enough _and_ that it will make her come hard, but he doesn’t know. He doesn’t like to rely on instinct, but here he is.

He presses her down, and she bites her lip. She really likes watching him fuck her. It’s almost as good as the actual sex they are having right now. Ino submits, and she knows what he is trying to do before he does it. She could say something dirty, but that would just cheapen it. She would simply be taking herself out of the moment, and she does not want to do that. Ino wants to feel herself become a human being. He promised to fuck her like she is a person, and by god, has he delivered. She leans down and he hits hard and true. She throws her head back and screams, the weight of his hand like a tether.

In the mirror, she sees him snarl into his own end, and they ride it out for a little bit, the two of them panting. They look into each other’s eyes in the mirror, both thinking about what they just did. Neji looks a little ashamed. Her scream satisfied him, because he thinks an orgasm should feel so good it hurts, but that is his own preference. She offers him a smile.

“I feel like a person,” she says quietly. He nods.

“So do I.” He grimaces as he pulls away. She yelps as he withdraws. He mutters a _sorry_ into her shoulder, before kissing all along her neck. She sighs, leaning back against him. He rests a hand on her stomach, and she intertwines her fingers with his, and she looks at them in the mirror.

They look like a couple straight out of a story, like in those books of myths she would read as a child, except, you know, totally naked. Neji rests his head on her shoulder, and she can tell that he is looking away from the mirror.

“Look,” she murmurs, “look at us.” His eyes flick to meet hers in the mirror.

“What am I supposed to see?” he asks. Ino grins.

“Two people.” She turns her head and kisses him on the mouth. He sighs, and then mewls when she pulls back.

“Are you going to leave?” she asks in a small voice. He sighs and pulls away, stretching. She watches him take the condom off, tying a knot before throwing it away.

She waits for his answer with a patience she didn’t know she was capable of. He finally turns to look at her, chewing his lower lip.

“I don’t have to leave,” he says, “if you don’t want me to.” He has the day off tomorrow. She probably works more humane hours.

“Good,” she replies, “I might want to feel like a human being again.” He smirks in response as she pulls out a toothbrush for him.

While she brushes her teeth, she picks her clothes up off the floor and takes them into her room. He spits first, but he waits for her to crawl into bed before he follows. He falls asleep on his stomach, and he wakes up the next day to her pressed right up against him. _Figures_ , he thinks, before rolling over and waking her up. 

**Author's Note:**

> I fixed my computer problem, and I was able to recover pretty much everything I needed, which was a nice turn of events. Now I store everything on the Cloud and an external hard drive. 
> 
> Neji and Ino are not as cute as SaiTen but they are a solid ship, and there should be more stories about them. I listened to Fleetwood Mac's Rhiannon and Ariana Grande's Touch It while writing this, if anyone is curious. 
> 
> Feel free to leave a comment and let me know what you think!


End file.
